Dr. Sarah Hurtado shares expertise on sexual violence on college campuses in The Denver Post
Feb. 29, 2020
Dr. Sarah Hurtado, HED, was featured in the Denver Post on Friday, Feb. 29, lending her expertise about sexual violence on college campuses. The article reads:
“Sarah Hurtado, a DU assistant professor focused on researching rape culture on college campuses, said society often thinks about rape as a violent act perpetrated by strangers. But particularly on college campuses, most sexual assaults happen between acquaintances.
Membrino, a junior, remembered staring up at an episode of “The Office” projected on a dorm ceiling while she was sexually assaulted during her freshman year at DU. She was too drunk to consent, but will never forget lying like a ragdoll on her Tinder date’s bed.
Hurtado said alcohol is often a factor in campus sexual assaults.
“I think a lot of times we use someone’s alcohol consumption as a way to blame them or say they should have been more responsible or made better choices, but at the end of the day, there’s only one person responsible, and that’s always the perpetrator,” Hurtado said. “It’s important for people to know that someone can’t consent if they’re inebriated.”
Photo credit: Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Pictured above: From left: University of Denver students Madeline Membrino, Grace Wankelman and Shannon Saul pose for a portrait outside of the library on the DU campus on Feb. 26, 2020. The trio, who are all survivors of sexual assault, started an Instagram account called wecandubetter where DU students can anonymously share their stories of sexual assault on their college campus.